Massive explosion at Mortlake gas-fired power station

July 9, 2019

A massive explosion has occurred at Origin’s Mortlake Power
Station in Victoria, causing significant damage to a major gas generator.

According the Herald Sun, fire crews were called to the
station on the morning of July 8, after an electrical fault caused the
explosion that caused significant damage to one of its two generating units.
Staff suggested it could take six months to get it back online.

Country Fire Authority commander Paul Marshall told 3AW, “It was
a rather large explosion, it certainly wasn’t a minor explosion, so that will
obviously take a while to rectify”.

An Origin spokeswoman said the electrical fault
activated the generator’s fire detection system, and that CFA crews were on
site for more than two hours.

“Origin is undertaking an investigation to
determine when the unit can be returned to service,” she said.